competitive-brief

SKILL.md

Competitive Brief

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Research competitors and generate a structured competitive analysis comparing positioning, messaging, content strategy, and market presence.

Trigger

User runs /competitive-brief or asks for a competitive analysis, competitor research, or market comparison.

Inputs

Gather the following from the user:

Competitor name(s) — one or more competitors to analyze (required)

Your company/product context (optional but recommended):

What you sell and to whom

Your positioning or value proposition

Key differentiators you want to highlight

Focus areas (optional — if not specified, cover all):

Messaging and positioning

Product and feature comparison

Content and thought leadership strategy

Recent announcements and news

Pricing and packaging (if publicly available)

Market presence and audience

Research Process

For each competitor, research using web search:

Company website — homepage messaging, product pages, about page, pricing page

Recent news — press releases, funding announcements, product launches, partnerships (last 6 months)

Content strategy — blog topics, resource types, social media presence, webinars, podcasts

Review sites and comparisons — third-party comparisons, analyst mentions, customer review themes

Job postings — hiring signals that indicate strategic direction (optional)

Research Sources

Gather intelligence from these categories of sources:

Primary Sources (Direct from Competitor)

Website: homepage, product pages, pricing, about page, careers

Blog and resource center: content themes, publishing frequency, depth

Social media profiles: messaging, engagement, content strategy

Product demos and free trials: UX, features, onboarding experience

Webinars and events: topics, speakers, audience engagement

Press releases and newsroom: announcements, partnerships, milestones

Job postings: hiring signals that reveal strategic priorities (e.g., hiring for a new product line or market)

Secondary Sources (Third-Party)

Review sites: G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, Product Hunt — customer sentiment themes

Analyst reports: Gartner, Forrester, IDC — market positioning and category placement

News coverage: TechCrunch, industry publications — funding, partnerships, narrative

Social listening: mentions, sentiment, share of voice across social platforms

SEO tools: keyword rankings, organic traffic estimates, content gaps

Financial filings: revenue, growth rate, investment areas (for public companies)

Community forums: community forums (e.g. Reddit, Discourse), industry chat groups (e.g. Slack communities) — user sentiment

Research Cadence

Deep competitive analysis: quarterly (full research across all sources)

Competitive monitoring: monthly (scan for new announcements, content, messaging changes)

Real-time alerts: ongoing (set up alerts for competitor brand mentions, press, job postings)

Competitive Brief Structure

1. Executive Summary

2-3 sentence overview of the competitive landscape

Key takeaway: your biggest opportunity and biggest threat

2. Competitor Profiles

For each competitor:

Company Overview

What they do (one-sentence positioning)

Target audience

Company size/stage indicators (funding, employee count if available)

Key recent developments

Messaging Analysis

Primary tagline or headline

Core value proposition

Key messaging themes (3-5)

Tone and voice characterization

How they describe the problem they solve

Product/Solution Positioning

How they categorize their product

Key features they emphasize

Claimed differentiators

Pricing approach (if publicly available)

Content Strategy

Blog frequency and topics

Content types produced (ebooks, webinars, case studies, tools)

Social media presence and engagement approach

Thought leadership themes

SEO strategy observations (what terms they appear to target)

Strengths

What they do well

Where their messaging resonates

Competitive advantages

Weaknesses

Gaps in their messaging or positioning

Areas where they are vulnerable

Customer complaints or criticism themes (from reviews)

3. Messaging Comparison Matrix

Dimension
Your Company
Competitor A
Competitor B

Primary tagline
...
...
...

Target buyer
...
...
...

Key differentiator
...
...
...

Tone/voice
...
...
...

Core value prop
...
...
...

(Include user's company only if they provided their positioning context)

4. Content Gap Analysis

Topics your competitors cover that you do not (or vice versa)

Content formats they use that you could adopt

Keywords or themes they own vs. opportunities they have missed

5. Opportunities

Positioning gaps you can exploit

Messaging angles your competitors have not claimed

Audience segments they are underserving

Content or channel opportunities

6. Threats

Areas where competitors are strong and you are vulnerable

Trends that favor their positioning

Recent moves that could shift the market

7. Recommended Actions

3-5 specific, actionable recommendations based on the analysis

Quick wins (things you can act on this week)

Strategic moves (longer-term positioning or content investments)

Analysis Frameworks

Messaging Comparison Frameworks

Value Proposition Comparison

For each competitor, document:

Promise: what they promise the customer will achieve

Evidence: how they prove the promise (data, testimonials, demos)

Mechanism: how their product delivers on the promise (the "how it works")

Uniqueness: what they claim only they can do

Narrative Analysis

Identify each competitor's story arc:

Villain: what problem or enemy they position against (status quo, legacy tools, complexity)

Hero: who is the hero in their story (the customer? the product? the team?)

Transformation: what before/after do they promise?

Stakes: what happens if you do not act?

This reveals positioning strategy and emotional appeals.

Messaging Strengths and Vulnerabilities

For each competitor's messaging, assess:

Clarity: can a first-time visitor understand what they do in 5 seconds?

Differentiation: is their positioning distinct or generic?

Proof: do they back up claims with evidence?

Consistency: is messaging consistent across channels?

Resonance: does their messaging address real customer pain points?

Content Gap Analysis Methodology

Content Audit Comparison

Map content across competitors by:

Topic/Theme
Your Content
Competitor A
Competitor B
Gap?

[Topic 1]
Blog post, ebook
Blog series, webinar
Nothing
Opportunity for B

[Topic 2]
Nothing
Whitepaper
Blog post, video
Gap for you

[Topic 3]
Case study
Nothing
Case study
Parity

Content Type Coverage

Content Format
You
Comp A
Comp B
Comp C

Blog posts
Y
Y
Y
Y

Case studies
Y
Y
N
Y

Ebooks/Whitepapers
N
Y
Y
N

Webinars
Y
Y
Y
N

Podcast
N
N
Y
N

Video content
N
Y
Y
Y

Interactive tools
N
N
N
Y

Templates/Resources
Y
N
Y
N

Identifying Content Opportunities

Topics they cover that you do not: potential gaps in your content strategy

Topics you cover that they do not: potential differentiators to amplify

Formats they use that you do not: format gaps that could reach new audiences

Audience segments they address that you do not: underserved audiences

Search terms they rank for that you do not: SEO content gaps

Content Quality Assessment

Depth: surface-level or comprehensive?

Freshness: regularly updated or stale?

Engagement: do posts get comments, shares, links?

Production value: text-only or multimedia?

Thought leadership: original insights or rehashed content?

Positioning Strategy

Positioning Statement Framework

For your company and each competitor, define (or reverse-engineer) their positioning statement:

For [target audience], [product/company] is the [category] that [key benefit/differentiator] because [reason to believe].

Example:

For mid-market SaaS marketing teams, Acme is the campaign management platform that unifies planning and execution in one workspace because it is built on a single data model that eliminates tool fragmentation.

Positioning Map

Plot competitors on a 2x2 matrix using the two most important dimensions for your market:

Common axis pairs:

Price vs. Capability (low cost / basic vs. premium / full-featured)

Ease of Use vs. Power (simple / limited vs. complex / flexible)

SMB Focus vs. Enterprise Focus (self-serve / individual vs. sales-led / team)

Point Solution vs. Platform (does one thing well vs. does many things)

Innovative vs. Established (new approach vs. proven track record)

Identify which quadrant is underserved or where your differentiation is strongest.

Category Strategy

Create a new category: if you do something genuinely different, define and own the category (high risk, high reward)

Reframe the existing category: change how buyers evaluate the category to favor your strengths

Win the existing category: compete directly on recognized criteria and out-execute

Niche within the category: own a specific segment, use case, or audience

Positioning Pitfalls to Avoid

Positioning against a competitor rather than for a customer need

Claiming too many differentiators (pick 1-2 that matter most)

Using category jargon the customer does not use

Positioning on features rather than outcomes

Changing positioning too frequently (confuses the market)

Battlecard Creation

A competitive battlecard is a one-page reference for sales and marketing teams. Include:

Header

Competitor name and logo

Last updated date

Competitive win rate (if tracked)

Quick Overview

What they do (one sentence)

Their target customer

Pricing model summary

Key recent developments

Their Pitch

How they describe themselves

Their primary tagline

Their top 3 claimed differentiators

Strengths (Be Honest)

Where they genuinely compete well

What customers like about them (from reviews)

Features or capabilities where they lead

Weaknesses

Consistent customer complaints (from reviews)

Technical limitations

Gaps in their offering

Areas where customers report dissatisfaction

Our Differentiators

3-5 specific ways your product or approach is different

For each: the differentiator, why it matters to the customer, and proof

Objection Handling

If the prospect says...
Respond with...

"[Competitor] does X too"
"Here is how our approach differs..."

"[Competitor] is cheaper"
"Here is what that price difference gets you..."

"I've heard good things about [Competitor]"
"They are strong at X. Where we differ is..."

Landmines to Set

Questions to ask prospects early that highlight your advantages:

"How do you currently handle [area where competitor is weak]?"

"How important is [capability you have that they lack]?"

"Have you considered [risk that your product mitigates]?"

Landmines to Defuse

Questions competitors might encourage prospects to ask you, with prepared responses.

Win/Loss Themes

Common reasons deals are won against this competitor

Common reasons deals are lost to this competitor

What types of prospects favor them vs. you

Battlecard Maintenance

Review and update quarterly at minimum

Update immediately after major competitor announcements

Incorporate win/loss feedback from sales team

Track which objection-handling responses are most effective

Output

Present the full competitive brief with clear formatting. Note the date of the research so the user knows the freshness of the data.

After the brief, ask:

"Would you like me to:

Create a battlecard for your sales team based on this analysis?

Draft messaging that exploits the positioning gaps identified?

Dive deeper into any specific competitor?

Set up a competitive monitoring plan?"